Classic Ford November 2024

Out and about with our band of Blue Oval-loving writers and photographers. ADE BRANNAN CONTRIBUTOR Ade’s account of his epic 2000-mile roadtrip in the Mk2 Granada, including to the Festival Of The Unexceptional, starts on page 84. ANDY SAUNDERS CONTRIBUTOR Dads have a lot to answer for… Simon Williams’ is guilty of passing on his Capri passion. See Andy’s images of Simon’s 2.8i TT on page 64. SIMON HOLMES CONTRIBUTOR Longtime Mk2 Fiesta fan Simon can’t get enough of Dan Thorne’s track and road-inspired creation. Check it out on page 34.…

To get all of the cars that appeared in this year’s Great Unveiling featured in the same issue was almost as much of a Herculean task as it was getting them to the Classic Ford Show in the first place. Begging, negotiating, begging and more begging… we employed these tactics to get the four cars ready to be photographed in time for this issue. Why? Because we wanted all of the cars together in order to showcase the very best that the classic Ford scene gave us this summer. Whether it’s the stunning levels of finish, outlandish engines or clever body mods, each car is a shining example of what’s so great about the old Ford scene — one that we are immensely proud to be part of. And if…

Car: 1973 Mk1 Escort Start Condition: Bought as a rotten car minus engine Condition now: Dry build done When did the project start: 2009 Estimated completion date: Spring 2025 Name: Andy Day, Braden Day Age: 42 and 12 From: Derbyshire, UK Job: Painter and decorator, student You’re unlikely to find any Mk1 Escort around these days with a price tag of just £750, but that’s exactly what Andy Day managed to achieve when he purchased the base for his current longterm project. As you can imagine, this happened some time ago, 2009 to be more precise and although progress hasn’t been especially swift, it appears he can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. “The Escort was in quite a bad way when I got hold of it,”…

Welsh firm MST – best known for its modern evocations of the Mk1 and Mk2 Escort – has unveiled its latest model, the Mk2 Evo-X. The X part of the model’s name is in reference to the widebody X-Pack parts available for the Mk2 back in period, and it also boasts the RS2000’s droopsnoot front end. The new variant promises numerous upgrades over MST’s critically acclaimed Mk2 model. Two naturally aspirated four-pots are available: the base unit being the 2.5-litre Ford Duratec that offers 275 bhp, and the range-topper a 2.8-litre Millington Diamond unit providing a whopping 350 bhp. The latter is a longterm favourite for competition-spec Escorts, and can be specified with either a conventional manual gearbox, or a sequential affair. The RS2000-aping bodywork is entirely carbon-fibre, resulting in…

The top-to-bottom Cabinet Office-led inquiry into the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which launched last July, has been concluded. The Department for Transport (DfT) Review Team confirmed to the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) that a Final Report has been produced, including recommendations, which is now awaiting approval following the UK’s change of government. Launched on July 23, 2023, the review assessed the DVLA to see if it was still fit for purpose, based on the four pillars set by the Cabinet Office of efficiency, efficacy, accountability and governance. It was announced after the FBHVC had applied considerable pressure to government over a range of issues about how the DVLA deals with historic vehicle registrations, following an apparent change in its attitude and procedures. The chairman of…

The Classic Ford Show — Europe’s largest classic Ford event — will take place on Sunday, May 11, 2025, once again at the South Of England Showground in West Sussex. If you love your classic Fords you will love what this show has to offer. Expect a huge trade village offering everything from panels to engines, a massive club area, and The Great Unveiling where five builds will be uncovered. There will be demos from the best in the business, hundreds of standout show cars on display, and we haven’t even touched on all the special feature areas at the show! Make a weekend of it, and arrive on the Saturday night, camping over and taking advantage of the entertainment available, too. So start working on those project cars now…